Sludge treatment



April 16, 1935.

L. B, SMITH SLUDGE TREATMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1931 FL Tees 31a/vento@ Patented Apr. 16, 1935 l UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE SLUDGE TREATMENT Lloyd B. Smith, Moorestown, N. J., assignor to The Atlantic Refining Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 5, 1931, Serial No. 561,352 9 Claims. (Cl. 23-177) 'Ihe present invention relates to the treatment the liquid. Thereafter the liquid may be passed of sludges which result from acid treating. pethrough a. heater and back into the main body troleum or fractions thereof, or the like. of hot liquid, thereby to maintain the body of liq- In the past it has been customary to subject uid substantially constant in volume and at the acid sludges to a steaming operation whereby desired temperature. If the liquid is of such 5 partial separation of acid was accomplished, character as to permit its use as a fuel, and if it whereupon the resulting mass has been burned, is desired to. use the liquid as fuel, the mixture for example, as a, means of disposal. However, of liquid and coke-like materialy may be passed considerable difculty has been encountered in directly from the hot bath to fuel burners or to 10 handling the heavy sticky acidied mass both storage, whereupon it may subsequently be used 10 during and subsequent to the steaming treatas fuel. In this event, liquid from an outside ment. source, heated to the proper temperature, may

In accordance with my invention substantially be introduced into the hot bath to replace that the entire acid content of sludges of the characliquid admixed with the carbonaceous material ter aforesaid is removed from the sludge, and which has been `removed from the system. 15 the sludge is reduced to a carbonaceous condition As a result of the introduction of the sludge which may be satisfactorily used as a fuel. My into the hot liquid bath, certain of the volatile process comprises decomposing the sludge by components including some of petroleum origin passing it, preferably continuously, into a body of are vaporized. The total gases and vapors formed hot liquid, the temperature of which, preferably may be passed from contact with the hot liquid 20 is of the order of from 400 F. to 600 F., wherebath, and separated into components by any by the acid content of the sludge is decomposed suitable procedure. Preferably, I remove the and given off, in the case of sludge resulting from more readily condensible hydrocarbon constitusulfuric acid treatment, in the form of sulfur ents from the mixture by passing the latter dioxide with or without sulfur trioxide. While through cooling coils, the temperature of which 25 the hot liquid into which the sludge is introduced is controlled so that the heavier hydrocarbon is preferably at a temperature of the order above constituents will become liquid. The gaseous stated, my process may be carried out with the sulfur dioxide, with or without sulphur trioxide, hot liquid at greater or lower temperatures, for and uncondensed portions of the volatilized maexample, at temperatures of the order of from terial may then be subjected to further treat- 30 185 F. to 1000 F. Also as a result of introducment. For example, oxide or oxides of the sulfur ing the sludge into the hot liquid, the more volamay be freed from the other 4gases and vapors tile constituents of the sludge, some of petroleum by passing the mixture through an absorption origin, are vaporized, while that portion of the tower in which such other gases and vapors may sludge remaining in the hot liquid is of a cokebe dissolved in a body of relatively high boiling 35 like or carbonaceous character. oil, or by other suitable and conventional pro- The body of the liquid into which the sludge is cedure, whereupon the former in their then unintroduced, in accordance with my invention, contaminated condition may, for example, be may be, for example, a petroleum oil, such as employed in the synthesis of sulfuric acid.

gas oil or recycle stock from cracking or fuel In order that my invention may be more clearly 4o oil. It is to be understood, however, that such understood, I refer to the accompanying drawliquid need not necessarily be a petroleum oil, ing in which the figure illustrates diagrammatibut may be any of a number of liquids Whose cally one form of apparatus arrangement in boiling ranges and other physical characteristics which my process may be carried out.

are such as to permit carrying out my process un- In the figure, I is a line equipped with valve la 45 der the conditions herein specified. through which the sludge to be treated may be It is to be understood that my process may be forced by means f pump 2, interposed in such carried out under atmospheric, super-atmosline, into treating chamber or tank 3. This Phelc, 0r Sub-atmOSDheriC pressures. chamber or tank, as illustrated, is covered with The Coke-like material resulting from passage suitable insulating material 3a so that radiation 50 of the sludge into the hot liquid, and which acof heat therefrom will be prevented to substantial cumulates in the liquid as a suspended solid, may extent. l be removed therefrom, for example, by passage Liquid to form the body of hot liquid into which i of the mixture into fllters or settlers, by means the sludge is passed, is introduced into the sysl of which the coke-like solids are separated from tem through line 4, equipped with valve 4a, which 55 communicates with line 8, provided with suitable pump 6, by means of and through which the liquid is passed into coil 'I of suitable heater 8, provided with a burner 8a or other suitable means for producing heat. Upon being heated to the desired temperature in the coil "I, the liquid passes from the coil through line 8 into the chamber or tank 3.

Line I0 equipped with suitable valve Illa connects lines I and 8, so that, if desired, the hot liquid and sludge or a portion thereof may be intermingled prior to their passage into the chamber 3.

In the chamber 3, there is effected volatilization of those components of the sludge which become volatile, or which become decomposed and volatilized at the temperature of the hot liquid within the chamber and under the pressure conditions existing therein. Such components include sulfur dioxide, with which sulfur trioxide may be admixed, in the case of treatment of a sludge formed as a result of sulfuric acid treatment, plus other volatile components of the sludge including some vapors and/or gases of petroleum origin. This volatile mixture is passed from chamber 3 through line 2I into condenser 22 wherein a portion of the mixture, particularly the higher boiling hydrocarbon oil components thereof, is liquefied. From the condenser the mixture passes through line 23 into separator 24, wherein the liquid portion separates from the gaseous portion, the former passing from the separator through line 28 to suitable storage, and the latter passing therefrom through line 25 to an absorption tower or the like (not shown), wherein the sulfur dioxide, plus sulfur trioxide if present, are freed from other volatile components, whereupon they maybe employed in the synthesis of sulfuric acid.

The hot liquid in chamber 3, upon accumulating carbonaceous material to a suitable extent, may be withdrawn from the chamber through line II either continuously or intermittently, whereupon such liquid with its carbonaceous suspension may either be withdrawn from the system by opening valve IIa with which line II is equipped, or may be passed into and through line I2, equipped with suitable valve I2aV and tapped into line II, thence into one or more of the bank of filters or settlers I5 and I6 through lines I3 and I4 equipped with valves I3a and Ila respectively, which communicate with line I2. Parts I5 and/or I8 may be any of a number of different conventional types, such as continuous rotary filters, press and frame filters, continuous settlers, etc. In the filters or settlers I5 and I6, the solid carbonaceous material is removed from the liquid and may be passed from the system through outlets I9 and 20. The liquid after passage through the filters or settlers may be conducted through lines I1 and I8, equipped with valves IIa and Ia respectively, which connect with line 5, equipped with valve 5a, which latter line communicates with the coil 1 of heater 8.

The description of apparatus hereinabove given is for the purpose of illustration and not with any intention of limiting the scope of my invention either with respect to process or apparatus.

From` the above description, taken in connection with accompanying drawing, it will be seen that my invention provides for several modes of procedure. For example, if desired, the hot liquid used in chamber 3 may be recirculated for a prolonged period of time without withdrawal of the liquid from the system, or part of the hot liquid may be withdrawn from the system and the remainder recycled, whereupon make-up liquid may be delivered to the system through line 4 to compensate for the portion removed, or liquid may be continuously introduced into the system through line 4 and continuously withdrawn from the system through line I I, in which event none of the liquid would be recirculated. It will be seen that sludge and the hot liquid may be introduced into the chamber 3 either separately or together, or a part of the sludge may be introduced separately and the remainder introduced into the chamber in admixture with the hot liquid.

'I'he temperatures of decomposition of acid sludges vary considerably depending upon the nature of each particular sludge. For example, a sludge produced by the sulfuric acid treatment of a petroleum fraction of the kerosene boiling range will, in general, decompose at a lower temperature than if the sludge had been formed as a result of sulfuric acid treatment of an oil of lubricating boiling range. Therefore, when, in the appended claims, the liquid into which the sludge is passed is defined as a "heated liquid, it is to be understood that such liquid is at a suillciently high temperature to effect at least some substantial decomposition of the sludge into volatile and coky components.

In carrying out my process, in some instances it may be desirable to preheat the sludge prior to its introduction into the hot body of liquid. This may be accomplished, for example, by passing the sludge into indirect4 contact with the hot vapors and gases emitted from the hot body of liquid, in a suitable heat exchanger. Further, it may be found desirable continuously or intermittently to withdraw from the system portions of the hot body of liquid along with carbonaceous material suspended therein resulting from the coking of the sludge, and thereafter remove the carbonaceous material from the liquid by any suitable means, such as by filtering, without subsequently returning the liquid to the system. For example, such procedure may be followed when the acid sludge contains an appreciable quantity of free acid and the hot liquid into which the sludge is introduced is a petroleum fraction which it is desired to refine by acid treatment. The carbonaceous material so removed may be used as a fuel, for example, and the liquid freed therefrom may be put to other desired use. Further, rather than circulate the liquid from the main body thereof, through a heater and back into the main liquid body, suitable heating means may be provided around or adjacent to the chamber containing such body of liquid, to maintain the liquid at the desired temperature of operation, in which instance, liquid, for example, may be continuously or intermittently introduced into the body either unheated, or preheated, for example, by previous passage into indirect heat exchange relation with the vapors and gases emitted from the hot body of liquid. Any of the modifications as above set forth or the like, and others which may occur to one skilled in the art upon reading what has been set forth hereinabove, are considered within the scope of my invention.

When, in the appended claims, the terms substantially non-aqueous or substantialhr free from aqueous constituen are employed in describing the body of liquid into which the sludge is paed, it is to be understood that such terms mean that water and/or steam, or' equivalent, is not present in the liquid to an extent which will cause appreciable or substantial hydrolysis of components of the sludge which are susceptible of hydrolysis.

It will be noted that in all of its various modifications, my process is characterized in that the sludge is substantially completely decomposed. In the prior steam treatingprocesses the acid components, such as sulfonic acids, are largely hydrolized to.give sulfuric acid and hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon derivatives, including tarry materials. In my process, on the other hand, the conditions are such that the acid part of the sludge is substantially completely reduced,giving principally sulfur dioxide, and at the same time the tarry compounds are decomposed to form coke. The principal products of my process are therefore coke, hydrocarbon oil, sulfur dioxide and water.

What I claim is:

l. A process for decomposing sludge which comprises passing a stream of the sludge continuously into a body of hot liquid maintained at a temperature suillciently high to cause coking of the sludge to substantial extent, continuously withdrawing from the body of hot liquid portions thereof in which coky portions of the sludge are suspended, continuously passing vapors and gases formed as a result of contact of the sludge with the hot body of liquid, from contact with such body of liquid, and continuously passing liquid into said body of liquid to maintain its volume substantially constant.

2. The process of decomposing sludge which comprises passing sludge into a body of heated liquid maintained at a temperature suillciently high to cause coking of a portion of the sludge and volatilization of another portion thereof, withdrawing from said body of heated liquid a portion thereof in which there is suspended coky material resulting from decomposition of sludge, separating from such portion the coky material, heating the liquid freed from coky material to a temperature in excess of that at which the hot body of liquid is to be maintained, and passing the heated liquid back into the hot body of liquid, thereby to maintain the volume and temperature of said body of liquid substantially constant.

3. Apparatus for decomposing sludge which comprises, a chamber adapted to hold a body of hot liquid, a pipe 'associated with said chamber for introducing sludge thereinto, a conduit communicating with said chamber for passing vapors out of the chamber, means associated with said chamber for withdrawing from the body of hot liquid a portion thereof, means connecting with said last mentioned means for removing solids :from the portion of hot liuqid withdrawn, and heating means connecting with the removing means and with the chamber whereby' liquid after having been freed from solids may be heated and reintroduced into the chamber.

4. In a process for the recovery of components from sludge, the step which comprises passing the sludge into a body of liquid at a temperature sumciently high to cause decomposition and coking of at least a portion of the sludge, said body of liquid being stable at the temperature to which same has been raised, and being miscible with mineral oil released as a result of decomposition of the sludge.

5. In a process for decomposing sludge, the step which comprises passing the sludge into a body of mineral oil at a temperature suiliciently high to cause decomposition and coking of at least a portion of the sludge.

6. In a process for decomposing acid sludge, the step which comprises passing the sludge into a body of mineral oil at aftemperature suiliciently high to cause coking of at least a portion of the sludge, said mineral oil being substantially nonreactive with components of the sludge other than its free mineral acid components.

7. In a process for decomposing acid sludge, the step which comprises passing the sludge into a body of liquid substantially free from water at a temperature suillciently high to cause coking of at least a portion of the sludge, said liquid being substantially stable at the temperature employed, being miscible with mineral oil released as a result of decomposition o! the sludge, and of sumciently high boiling point so that no substantial amount thereof will vaporize at the temperature employed.

8. In a process for decomposing sludge, the steps which comprise bringing the sludge into contact with a body of mineral oil, during at least a portionof the time that the sludge is in contact therewith, maintaining the body of oil at a temperature sufliciently high to cause decomposition and coking of at least a portion of the sludge, said mineral oil being oi.' sufficiently high boiling point so that no substantial amount thereof will vaporize at the temperature employed.

9. In a process for decomposing sludge resulting from the treatment of petroleum oil with sulfurie acid, the steps which comprise passing the sludge into a body of mineral oil substantially free from water, maintained at a temperature of the order of from 400 F. to 600 F., wherebythe sludge is substantially completely converted into friable coky substances, hydrocarbon oil voxides of sulfur and water.

LLOYD B. SMITH. 

